Monday, June 30, 2008

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By August, I drawn up plans to work on the phenolic resin problem, and I began to
address some of the lack of good business practices I had observed in the laboratory. The latter problem was particularly disturbing to me because it was a hindrance to me carrying out my job. The first thing I needed to know was what the other people in the laboratory were doing. I decided to institute monthly reports. I wrote a memo describing the proper report form and stated that reports would commence immediately and would be due every subsequent month. Normally, I would have had to clear such a change with Ravi, but he was still in the hospital recovering from open heart surgery. Therefore, I cleared the memo with Darth. I felt I had been hired as a manager, and I should begin to exert that authority to implement changes necessary to “build the laboratory”.

In the laboratory, I began the experimental work to solve the phenolic resin problem. My work in the laboratory was met with open aggression by John Mason. The open aggressiveness by John caught me by surprise, because his behavior was so loud and unusually antagonistic that I wasn't quite sure how to handle it. One particular annoying mannerism he exhibited was the continual questioning of everything like a child will do until the parent becomes annoyed. John also suddenly became the laboratory know-it-all. Mention any subject and John would give a ten minute nonsensical dissertation on the topic as if he were the world expert on the subject. Most people would find this personality type annoying, especially in a work environment where it couldn't be avoided, and I was no exception. This exaggerated behavior was to continue for several months and then it would cease abruptly and entirely. And I would latter find that Jim was the first of a line
of successive antagonists.

In Ravi's absence, my mind was slowly being poisoned against Ravi by other
employees. I met the Milwaukee regional sales manager, Paul Johnson, who had been a
chemist for Bordens Company. Paul who had worked several years as a phenolic resin
chemist befriended me in the laboratory by telling John and Jeff that I knew my chemistry. Paul also gave me some hints as to what was the best way to prepare the phenolic resin I wanted. He also informed me that the Clines were unhappy with Ravi and that they wanted to get rid of him. He also said that Ravi was very unpopular with everyone at Gamma Supplies. I could have cared less, but what the conversation did, along with subsequent reinforcement from Darth, was make Ravi and I adversaries. With John giving me all the static in the laboratory, and with Ravi being painted as an adversary, I was becoming a little dissatisfied with the whole situation. And it constantly bothered me that the whole situation seemed created or artificial, but I couldn't see any reason for creating such an atmosphere. I buried myself in my laboratory work in an attempt to forget all the external
conflict.

Ravi returned in mid-August and the situation quickly grew worse. A few weeks
earlier, I had visited Ravi in the hospital, and he was so glad to have company and
someone to talk to that he practically begged me to stay a few minutes longer. Now that he was returning to work for a few hours a day, his attitude toward me took an abrupt change.

With time the situation would grow to where I alone was pitted against John and Ravi. Darth played the role of a sympathetic friend, but he made no effort in improve the situation nor did he offer any advise on how to handle the situation. And, despite all of the suggestions that the Clines wanted to get rid of Ravi, the rumors also said he had a contract which was good through June of 1977. I knew I could not tolerate the situation that long.

Ravi also made no attempt to hide his antagonism towards me. When the monthly
reports finally did come due, I did not get any copies. I inquired to the secretary as to where my copy of the monthly reports were, and she said Ravi told her not to give me any. A few minutes later I ran into Darth's office and I was furious. I told Darth about the monthly reports.

“Don't worry, you'll get a copy of the reports,” he said as he turned and stormed off in the direction of the secretaries office. As he left I felt uneasy; Darth seemed mad about what I had told him, but when he rushed off his movements seemed stiff and seemed to lack spontaneity.*

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*Several years latter I read an article in Psychology Today about acting out emotions. The article concluded that it is hardest to act angry, because when people act angry they become “rigid and stiff in their movement.”

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